NEW YORK — A couple of weeks ago, we voted early here for the main NHL trophies. Let’s now award some of this season’s lesser-known hardware. Let’s call them the Dater Awards — patent pending.

Best player you’ve never heard of: Jamie Benn, Dallas. With 57 points in his first 61 games, his points-per-game average is near the top of the league. He has some of the fastest hands in the sport, and he’s also in the last year of a contract paying “just” $765,000. Even as a restricted free agent, he will make a killing this summer. There could be a predatory offer or two from other teams.

Player most likely to get bought out from his contract: Scott Gomez, Montreal. No question on this one. The woefully underachieving Canadiens forward has two more years left on a contract with a salary cap hit of $7,357,143. In the past 118 games for Montreal (entering Thursday), Gomez had scored nine goals and was a minus-24.

Biggest second-half implosion by a team: Toronto Maple Leafs. Narrowly edging out the injury-ravaged Minnesota Wild, the Leafs will miss the postseason for the seventh consecutive spring after being in the top eight of the Eastern Conference most of the first half. The biggest change made by general manager Brian Burke was firing coach Ron Wilson in favor of Randy Carlyle. The Leafs have looked even worse under Carlyle, a coach that one former Anaheim Ducks player once whispered to me as having the unofficial nickname among players of “Grumpy Old Man.”

Loudest NHL arena: MTS Centre, Winnipeg. My ears still are ringing from covering the Avs’ recent game there. They really are thankful for getting hockey back in Winnipeg.

Strangest signing by a team: Marty Turco, Boston. You had to wonder why Boston GM Peter Chiarelli elected to sign an already washed-up guy who hadn’t played with any team all year, to replace injured backup Tuukka Rask. With a 4.42 goals-against average in his first two appearances for the Bruins, you have to wonder about that even more.

Strangest but coolest road trip moment: For me, it was listening to a bowling tournament live on the radio while driving from Columbus, Ohio, to Detroit a few weeks back. We’re talking play-by-play of every pin drop of a small-town Ohio tournament, with a host and a color guy who was so old, he talked of playing in the tourney himself in the 1940s. I will never forget the old man’s voice yelling, “He got the turkey!” after one of the bowlers made three strikes in a row. I loved every minute of it.

Best way to start a good debate among Avs fans: How about this question: Who should get a fatter contract in the offseason, Matt Duchene or Ryan O’Reilly? They will see their current deals expire after this season.

While it would have seemed inconceivable that O’Reilly might be worth a better deal than Duchene the two seasons before this one, you can make a strong case that he should be paid more now.

Yes, Duchene’s season has been partially derailed by injuries and he is the more offensively skilled of the two, but “The Factor” is the better all-around player right now.

And yet, Duchene put up strong scoring numbers his first two years and deserves to be rewarded for that too. It should be interesting around the bargaining table with these two young guys.

Alex Tanguay, Flames

It seems like a million years ago since he played with the Avalanche, but in reality it has only been six.

Tanguay, a first-round pick of the Avs in 1998, continues to be a productive player for the Flames, who play in Denver on Tuesday night in a game that could have huge playoff implications.

After a washout season in Tampa Bay two years ago, Tanguay returned to the Flames for a second tour of duty and has been close to a point-per-game producer the last two seasons.

He’ll always best be remembered in Denver for scoring two goals in Colorado’s 3-1 Game 7 victory over New Jersey in the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals. Some thought he might be washed up after disappointing seasons in Montreal and Tampa Bay, but he has found a second wind to his career in Calgary.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tyreek Hill didn’t know what to do when he started hearing thousands of people in Arrowhead Stadium chanting his name, even as he stood all alone on the frozen turf waiting for the punt.